Red Racer Pilsner | Central City Brewers + Distillers

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Notes / Commercial Description:
Red Racer Pils is brewed in the classic Bavarian tradition, using only the finest two-row barley and hops from the Hallertau region of Germany. This light and golden Pilsner has a distinct hop aroma and flavour with a dry, crisp finish.

20oz pint for the Central City tap takeover at the Underground in YEGDT. Nice time of year for a Czech-style pilsener, I gotta say!

This beer appears a clear, pale golden straw colour, with one fat finger of puffy, bubbly, and somewhat creamy dirty white head, which leaves some stellar honeycombed lace around the glass as it slowly melts away.

It smells of biscuity, grainy pale malt, a hint of yeasty doughiness, some prominent applesauce fruitiness, a suggestion of aerosol petrol, and earthy, leafy, and faintly grassy hops. The taste is toasted, gritty, and grainy cereal malt, a more acrid apple and dry pear fruit essence, persistent old-school gasohol notes, and some earthy, grassy, and wet-hay hoppiness.

The carbonation is average, and thus not too peppy in its otherwise supportive enough frothiness, the body medium-light in weight, and a tad astringent in its smoothness manifestation, though this isn't entirely attributable to the hops. It finishes mostly dry, the graininess going native, and the mildly muddled and hay field worthy hops lingering about.

Overall, an approachable version of the style, as the typical big Saaz hops aren't really all there, which I find a bit surprising for this brewery, given the headiness of their bread and butter offerings. Still rather impressive, compared to the norm, and enjoyable all the same.

Appearance: The look is sadly one of the highlights of this beer. It pours a clear straw to pale gold with 1cm of foamy, white head that settles into a cap in less than two minutes. No lacing in a beer-clean glass.

Aroma: The faintest of pale malts (honey) and grassy hops. I poured some of the beer into a Glencairn glass to get a sense for the smell.

Taste: Characterless and watery... faint pale malts. I wish had more to say.

Mouthfeel: Light body with moderate carbonation. The prickly sensation is the best part of this brew. I like them prickles.

Overall: In a word, characterless. I would rather spend my money on sparkling water to quench my thirst. The few points this beer deserves come from the fact that it has no off-flavours. It's clean and that counts for something. The most satisfying part is the mouthfeel. Crushable? Sure, but that's not why I drink beer.

Can: Poured a deep golden color pilsner with a great white head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of lightly sweet malt notes with light cereal flavours. Taste is dominated by light sweet cereal notes with light floral undertones. Body is somewhat full with good carbonation. Not as hoppy as I would have expected considering the brewer but refreshing and enjoyable nonetheless.

Appearance - Clear yellow colour with a small size fizzy white coloured head. There is a low amount of carbonation showing and there isn't much lacing.

Smell - Corn, breads/grains, hops

Taste & Mouth - There is a below average amount of carbonation and I can taste corn, hops, and bread/grains. There are also some grassy/herbal notes and a touch of apple juice. It ends with a faint hop aftertaste.

Overall – While I really like the taste of this beer, there isn't all that much taste to be had. It seems sort of muted. I'd like a little bit more flavour but this is still a nice refreshing beer.

473 mL tallboy from the LCBO; now abbreviated as 'Red Racer Pils.' Dated Feb 16 2017 and served well-chilled. Reviewed on my phone.

Pours a crystal clear golden-yellow colour, producing an inch of foamy white foam which recedes within 60 seconds. It fades to little more than a soapy cap and anemic collar, but at least shows the courtesy of depositing a spidery curtain of lacing before it departs. Uneventful aroma; clean, grainy pale malts, honey biscuit and some grassy, leafy hops.

A respectable pils with a clean, straightforward flavour. There's lots more grainy, pale barley malt sweetness to be enjoyed, with hints of biscuit and apple skin leading into a noble-hopped finale. Grassy hay, with floral notes and some earthy, spicy qualities; quite agreeable, and it's all wrapped up with a leafy green finish and an off-dry aftertaste. Light in body, and properly carbonated to provide a mild, refreshing crispness. Extraordinarily sessionable.

Final Grade: 3.74, a B grade. Red Racer Pils is on par with most of the better imported Euro pilseners. A quality lager worthy of occupying any pils fan's glass.

Very tasty and highly drinkable pilsener fron central city. Previously have only tried the ales from this brewer. Crisp on the palette and zero aftertaste. Refreshing summer brew. Canned from the LCBO.